Hotspotoutdoors

quicker than we all think, okay, not that quickly but what are you doing to get ready for this year?

I am busily tucking money from each paycheck into my Iowa doe tag fund. I hunted solo last year in SE MN and while the land looked great, there were no deer around. I was out in the field for 6 days and came out with a small doe, the only deer I had a shot on....My wife and I decided that yes the tag costs more in Iowa, but it is only one weekend that I desert her with the three kids, so the extra money spent on a tag outweighs the two trips to SE MN and all the stuff that goes with that.

I have been considering a new slug barrel for my shotgun as well. The currently slug barrel I own has a wiggle in it when it is on the gun. I kid you not, when I move the gun up and down, I can feel and see the barrel wiggle. It is accurate, but I have no idea why it does that. My 870 came as a combo set and the bird barrel is fine, it never wiggles at all.......my issue with a new slug barrel is that they aren't cheap, the slugs to sight them in aren't cheap, and I am cheap (to a point, see above out of state license costs)

Okay, let's hear what new stuff you are looking at, what stuff have you bought, what is on your reasonable wish list.

maybe a new trail camera

cold weather camo

The one thing that I need for this year isn't very exciting, but very important. I need a new tree stand harness. The one I have been using came with one of my stands and it is bulky and uncomfortable. Too many times I have opted to not wear it. I am looking into getting a vest style harness. It only takes one fall to ruin your season or possibly ruin hunting forever. Lets all be safe out there.

Good Point Nik, I will not be stand hunting this year, but when I start hunting MN again, I will get one of those vest ones, they look slick

I kinda already have my stuff since last year was first year bow hunting and decided I would get into it pretty seriously. Kinda do wish I had a hunting partner though since I do everything by myself.

Wish list...

1. Rangefinder
2. Climbing tree stand
3. Scentlok Suit for 20 degree days
4. Scentlok Hat

Last year got a bit expensive.

1. Ground Blind $100
2. 2nd Ground blind after season $100
3. 3 Platform stands after season $30 each
4. 3 ladder sticks after season $33 each
5. Drenalin Bow and accessories WAY TOO DANG MUCH!
6. Scentlok Savanah Suit $300
7. Built an enclosed tree stand

Christmas Presents

1. Primos Calls
2. Primos Blood Light

If you can't tell I'm single

I got one of the Primos blood light and they are very nice to use! Also, last year before season I picked up a Nikon range finder and will not leave the house for hunting without it anymore!

I'm finally going to get the guts enough to chainsaw down 2 stands that are on my property that aren't mine. If .50 is truly a half mile and my best accurate measurements put those stands at .41 and .46 respectively, they're going down the night before season and I'm going to hunt my other properties and if they dispute it I'll ask them to meet me with a CO and we can all use our GPS's and head in which would put these guys in about waist deep water where the true line is. They know where it is and last winter I investigated. These guys only have 1,030 acres to hunt but want to try to hunt the deer that run my land first leaving there own area for later and muzzy. I'd be sick to know how often they bow hunt my land with zero permission since one of them ate sunflower seeds like crazy in my stand last year.

MB, get the GPS coordinates of those stands tomorrow. With the coordinates figure out if it's your land. Than maybe give the CO a call, tell him the situation, and ask him to check the stands a couple of times during bow season. Good Luck!

Some of what I need to get for next season:

New broadheads.
Try different slugs, maybe change.
New insulated rubber boots.
New waders.

Biggest thing for me this year is gonna be more time spent preparing to hunt; more time training the dog, more bow practice this year, more slug/rifle/smokepole practicing.

Funny stuff, I remember the year I got engaged. Before my money become our money I made sure to load up on everything I needed for a long career of hunting. Best move I ever made.

that's pretty solid advice right there.

I think my grandfather was a very wise man. He told me if Grandma aint happy NO ONE is happy and if grandma wasn't happy for too long Grandpa was happy with half his stuff. Very wise man I think.

My buddy told me I need to find a woman who gets into hunting so that way both of us are doing it. I look at how much I already spent that don't sound cheap but it would be fun to have someone to spend the season with since right now I try to get friends and family out with me but their all busy. So if anyone is every bored maybe work something out.

it is great advice. however, i feel i am very lucky, and others would think i am very unlucky. but i am engaged, and it just so happens that she is just as into hunting and fishing as i am. we do plan a "guys only" fishing trip every year. so, when i get back from rainy, guess what the future mrs was up to. went to the local gun show and bought another deer rifle. she actually has 4 more rifles than i do!

If your wife or soon to be wife doesn't hunt or show any interest of getting into it, the best advice I can give is to be one hell of a husband the rest of the year, working your butt off around the house and spending as much time with her and the kids (if you eventually have them)as you can. Then, when deer hunting rolls around in the Fall, she's usually pretty understanding, especially when you thank her for supporting your only real hobby that gives you great joy on top of spending your life with her and the kids. She's usually willing to cut you some slack after that for a couple of months of the year. She'll also "let" you spend lots of money on hunting stuff, though you may have to buy some furniture or "non-guy" items to equal it out. : )

Also, to the point of the original post, my wish list includes switching to some new broadheads, rage two blades for something different than my fixed blade muzzy's. I'm thinking of making that jump soon, well before season. I'd also like to make a sidetrip to Ripley or up north to tag an extra doe since we can only take one deer total now in our area and we love venison. Any suggestions on where, how to tag an extra doe are welcome.

OK to those of you who called and e-mailed the people of interest and now they are bothering my parents with phone calls. Just have the owner of the stand take his gps this winter and put a mark on the road and walk straight north .50 and see if his coordinates match mine. I'm selling my land as they all know and I've had people walk my land and do this and they tell me you must have at least 3 stands and I say no I have 2 and they ask about the steel ladder and the stand 25 feet up in the air and I tell them it's not mine and they tell me well from the road it's .48 and you own .50 or a half mile right? I mean what's a survey crew use a gps so I took mine and I get the same reading .48, sure it's only a hundred feet or so but whatever. If that is all true and it seems to be then I lost a lot of trees to the bulldozer. Tell them to buy it or get the gang together and buy it.

I'll leave the stand alone and I have some very interested people and I'll probably not hunt it this year as I have access to about 1,000 acres through marriage. I'll leave the land alone although if it doesn't sell by Nov. 1st I have a group of 3 guys willing to lease it for rifle and muzzleloading. So far the only stand ruined down there has been mine, my 4 sale signs destroyed or taken, and if I would've gotten a call like could we drive it out like on the last day of rifle and muzzy season I would've said go ahead, but once my stand was ripped up and is still just hanging there kinda didn't appreciate that.

to anyone thats goin to add a stand to there list of toys this year i would look at a store that kinda sounds like Ricks sporting goods. they sell stands and climbers cheap i picked up two climbers last year. its really hard to find the climbers as some stores do not have them in stock for very long.
iceman

deerminator if you want too tag extra deer head up to zimmerman area and hunt sherburn refuge get a map and do some research through google earth and you will be able to fill some more tags. Yes thier are alot of small game hunters out thier but if you go far enough back in it's like a deer drive all day. The farther into the season you get the more deer you will see back there, and yes you do have a good chance at harvesting the buck of your dreams out of there also.

Hi Mike, Ron called your Dad asking to get your phone number because he couldn't find you in the phone book. He would like to get together over a couple beers and work the dispute over the border out.

If you have some time, give Ron a call. I'm sure we can all figure this out. To anyone who is interested in leasing this 80 for deer hunting this year, I am sure you will have a great time and see good deer.

The stand with the steel ladder has been there for many years. I want to say over 10, but you should check with your Dad. I am pretty sure him and Ron placed that stand. I think it's on your side, but Ron would know for sure.

I tried sending you a pm via the site here, but it looks like they are disabled. You can email me at gregdomeier @ gmail dot com

Any way, give Ron a call and let's sort this out.

Hey vister you get that buck back from the taxi yet??

Beers sound good ! Now were talking, will be on Muskie fishing trip and I'm sure we can sort this out, thanks for the report !

Mike (Musky Buck), can you shoot me a pm? Got a couple questions for you, not about this subject though. Thanks.
kedberg at frontiernet dot net